Tethys - Patrol Ship
The basic design of the Tethys affords this small ship the first full application of technologies as learned from those advances put forward by the Kirishiac’s influence on Terran designs. Fully realized with technology completely understand by Terran scientists, the Tethys’ design is easily maintained by technicians due to the Smart Modularity concept. The Smart Modularity concept allows technicians to easily replace almost every component (aside from the ship’s internal structure) with either spares or newly produced parts. This means that the ship can continue in operation until it is fully replaced due to battle damage or if the class itself is retired. On the flip-side is that the ship can continue in operation with new sensors and weapon systems easily put onto the ship allowing those produced to continue in service for longer periods of time. Shaped like an elongated lozenge, the Tethys also features a quartet of rectangular “boxes” near the rear section of the ship. These “boxes” contain the primary maneuvering drives as well as space for a single turret that carries part of the ship’s main armament, a fairly power particle beam weapon. Just forward of these “box” structures is an open hanger bay that is open to space on each side of the ship. The main gun of the Tethys is a power spinal-mounted coilgun. All of this equipment is packed into a ship that is barely 150 meters long (itself about 50% bigger than the Typhoon Antigravity Craft, the next most comparable design). Deployed at first by the United Nations of Earth and later by the Terran Alliance (itself later replaced by the Terran Hegemony), the Tethys was used mainly to patrol the Sol system. It would be during one of these later patrols in 2055 that a single Tethys came across several Vorlon ships that came out of a jump point near the South Pole of Terra. Sending a warning, that was ignored, however the series of warning shots were not ignored. The Vorlon ships sped away into another jump point instead of fighting the Terran ship. Later actions included dealing with a number of saucer-shaped craft fleeing before the ships in Terran space. The shape of the saucers were a very close match to those ships spotted often enough by freighter pilots and matched the accounts of UFO “survivors” as well. The Tethys was later removed from service when the Oracle – Corvette was brought into service with the HAF Navy about a decade after the first Vorlon incursions. The reason why the Tethys was replaced with the larger Oracle was simply that even with the Smart Modularity, the Tethys was not originally fitted with the then prototype Jump Drive. This lack made the Tethys only usable in the Sol system or it would need to be built in place. However, they would be used in several engagements against both the Koulani and the Ch’Lonas, but needed to be close to jump capable craft in order for them to be used successfully. Those few of the Tethys in operation are operated by local space forces for Search & Rescue operations near planetary bodies or are found with continuing use squadrons that continue to operate older ships as a “living” history museum. Technical Specifications Class: Tethys Type: Patrol Ship Length: 149 m Mass: 15,000 tons Acceleration: 4.5 G Crew: 28 (with space for up to 54) Small Craft: 2 (Fighters or Shuttles) Power/Propulsion: 1 Type 1 Energy Captor System 4 Marconi Deluxe Plasma Engines Weapon systems: 1 Edison Armaments Series I Coilgun (5 mm), spinal mount 4 GE Particle Accelerators, turreted Defensive systems: Armored Hull, up to 1.5 meters thickness Adamantine/Mithral composite throughout